Women, feminism, and geek culture

You must gather your linkspam before venturing forth (19 March 2013)

From celebrating women in computing to changing the system | fdiv.net: “To sum up — I heard a range of experiences, good and bad. I heard a lot of factors that played into those experiences, and not just gender — parenthood, class, race, age, culture, personality. I heard an impressive array of coping strategies and survival tactics for adapting to the system that makes it harder for some people than others to be in computing. Coping strategies and survival tactics can be useful. But if that’s all we talk about, then we’re accepting the system. We’re reinforcing the system. What about changing the system?”

How to create the PL culture I’d like to believe we deserve | Everything in Context: “Of course, it’s significantly easier to say “yes, we want to include everyone!” than it is to actually be a fertile community for them to not only feel welcome but to thrive and lead. In light of that, I want to try to present some concrete advice that you can apply whenever socializing and collaborating with other PL enthusiasts or potential PL enthusiasts.”

Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In gives contradictory advice. | Slate Magazine: The entire book plays out like this. Sandberg encourages women to fake confidence in the workplace by investing in “an hour of forced smiling” or by “assuming ‘a high-power pose.’ ” Then again, women would do best to communicate “authentically.” Women shouldn’t be afraid to cry on a colleague’s shoulder at an emotional time, she says. Then again, “research suggests” that “it is not a good idea to cry at work.” Women shouldn’t be afraid to advocate for flexible work hours to handle family commitments. Except that “employees who make use of flexible work policies are often penalized.” Women “need to shift from thinking ‘I’m not ready to do that,’ to thinking ‘I want to do that, and I’ll learn by doing it.’ ” But then again, men are promoted based on their potential while women are promoted based on their past accomplishments. Except that “a woman who explains why she is qualified or mentions previous successes in a job interview can lower her chances of getting hired.”

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